


The End of an Anchor

by padfootprophet



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-14
Updated: 2017-04-14
Packaged: 2018-10-18 20:59:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10625028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/padfootprophet/pseuds/padfootprophet
Summary: Ryder's entire existence in Andromeda had been, up to this point, focused on dealing with other people's problems. Now she's given everyone some breathing room she finds herself dealing with an extended period of free time, and a relationship she never did work out how to define.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This fic exists because I'm very much not over Reyes Vidal. It doesn't contain much in the way of spoilers but it is set after the end game so proceed with that in mind.  
> (Also listen to The End of an Anchor by Dashboard Confessional. It's become my Reyes song)

Waking up was a slightly painful experience. Ryder wasn't sure how long she'd been out, but her entire body ached. A nasty reminder of her fight with the Archon. She blinked against the lights of the med bay and tried to sit up, an action that ended up causing more pain. And a noise from beside her.

Looking down Ryder saw a familiar flop of dark hair, leant against arms braced on the side of her bed. She could hardly control the soft smile, or the warmth that settled over her at the sight of Reyes, half asleep at her bedside.

Reaching out, she gently ran her hands through his hair. She wondered if he'd been there the whole time she was asleep, worrying about her. Her touch caused him to stir with a soft hum. He seemed to take a moment to fully comprehend what was happening, blinking up at her lazily.

"You're awake," he said, voice tinged with surprise and concern and _warmth_.

"How long was I out?" Ryder asked, her fingers still twined through his hair, her voice cracked from disuse.

Reyes reached up to move her hand into his own and smiled at her for a second. "Too long."

He was staring at her. If she looked half as bad as she felt then she couldn't blame him. She wasn't the only one though; Reyes had bags under his eyes, as though he hadn't slept for days. She squeezed his fingers where they'd caught between her own.

"You look like shit," she said.

He laughed, the noise coming out choked, which wasn't particularly reassuring. "You look beautiful," he said, the words sincere and full, his eyes searching her own.

Ryder shifted, then winced as the movement caused her ribcage to flare up with pain. "You promised no more lies," she said, smiling weakly.

Reyes' laugh came out less broken this time, and the warm sound still gave her butterflies. "It's possible I'm biased," he replied.

His smile was as inviting as ever. She wanted to kiss him, would have done if she could move more than an inch without feeling the effects of everything that had happened. "Kiss me?" she asked instead. Reyes' smile grew even wider. He leant down to place a gentle kiss on her lips. A ghost of every other kiss they'd shared. Enough to send a shiver down her spine, but not what she wanted.

Something of her disappointment must have shown on her face. "You're still recovering," he said, placating. He reached up with his other hand and brushed a stray piece of hair from her forehead, a largely futile gesture, but a loving one nonetheless. "And I'm not going anywhere."

It was a simple statement, but one that spoke volumes.

"Kadara…" Ryder started.

" _Can_ _wait_."

"Ryder, you're awake."

Ryder blinked. She'd been so caught up in Reyes she hadn't noticed Lexi approaching the bed. She would have felt embarrassed at letting her guard slip, but she was injured and tired and probably allowed to be less than her best right now.

Reyes squeezed her hand again before pulling away from her. "I'll leave you in the doctor's capable hands," he said.

Ryder smiled up at him, trying to let him know how much she appreciated him being there, too awkward to put it into words. "Get some rest Reyes," she said instead, "I'm not going anywhere either."

His face lit up with something she'd seen before, that day in the cave, when she'd let him know she still cared for him in spite of everything. She vaguely registered it as hope, and wondered if he still doubted how much she loved him. It was something she'd have to fix when she wasn't laid up in the med bay.

"Unbelievable," Lexi muttered, beginning a series of checks that Ryder followed blindly. "Your boyfriend has been a pain for the past two days, you know."

"What?" Ryder asked, slightly taken aback.

"I was worried for a while we'd end up with another patient," Lexi explained, irritation colouring her voice, "Refused to sleep or eat, no matter how many times we told him you'd make a full recovery. Drack managed to drag him out at one point, got him to eat something, but he was pacing outside for so long I let him back in in the end."

"No. I mean… you said…" Ryder blinked. Her brain was trying to process the idea of Reyes as her _boyfriend_. It wasn't something they'd talked about, it wasn't something she'd really had time to consider. Lexi was watching her closely. "You're analysing me."

"Just making a mental note."

Ryder frowned, "Stop it."

Lexi dropped her scanner with a sigh. "It's my job to look out for your emotional health as well. And I recommend you talk to Reyes about it."

"Are you prescribing me the _talk_?" Ryder said. Now she was embarrassed.

"Yes, if I have to," Lexi replied, completely serious.

Ryder would have walked out of the med bay if she could stand.

 

Lexi's comment stuck in her head even as her body recovered. It didn't help that Reyes was always there, not that she would have him anywhere else. Ryder _liked_ his company. He made her smile, made her laugh, made her stomach twist and her heart skip. She knew she loved him, she just wasn't sure what that meant.

Ryder didn't _do_ boyfriends. Or girlfriends. In the Milky Way she'd never found anyone she cared about enough to make them a constant in her life. She'd never found anyone she cared about the way she cared about Reyes.

She watched him, as he sat by her bedside, focused on the datapad he was holding. Reports from Keema, from Kadara, she assumed. He'd informed her the day before that people were returning to their lives, whatever that meant now the cluster wasn't a war zone. Ryder had joked she'd missed the party.

There was a slight frown on Reyes' forehead she wanted to smooth away.

"Hey," she said, quietly.

His focus shifted immediately, the frown replaced by a warm smile. "I didn't know you were awake," he responded, putting down the datapad.

Ryder sat up, a motion that still ached but no longer caused her entire body to light up with pain. "Bad news?" she asked, tilting her head towards the datapad.

Reyes pushed it away. "You're supposed to be resting."

"I don't think I can physically walk as far as the Tempest," she reasoned, "You can tell me."

He studied her for a moment then shrugged. "Disturbing news. Christmas said something about a cult."

She let herself fall back against the pillows. "On second thought, I don't want to know. Let one of the other pathfinders deal with it."

He chuckled, shifting so he could rest a hand against her own. She took it without hesitation. "It does feel like you've done more than your share," he said.

"Are you trying to talk me into retiring? Settling down on Kadara?"

"I would _gladly_ take you," Reyes replied, his tone as warm and flirtatious as ever.

Ryder blushed in spite of herself. She wondered if the innuendo was deliberate. Knowing Reyes, it probably was. And she was stuck on bed rest for at least another few days. She let herself meet his gaze, which was probably a mistake, because now she wanted to be anywhere but the very public med bay.

"Reyes…" she muttered; it was supposed to be a reproaching tone, but it sounded needy even to her. He leant close, planted a series of kisses across her jawline which were definitely not helpful. "I'm supposed to be resting," she said.

Reyes shifted so his forehead rested against her own. He let out a breathy chuckle. "Would it help if I apologised?"

She closed her eyes, allowed herself to breathe him in, then opened them again. "Only if it was genuine."

That got another laugh, a warm puff against her cheek. "I think-"

"Oh, we can come back later."

Reyes pulled away slowly, Ryder flushed with embarrassment. Peebee's interjection worked well to dampen her arousal, although judging from the intensity of Reyes' gaze it hadn't done enough. She tore her eyes away long enough to glare at her friend.

Peebee was grinning. Vetra stood next to her, determinedly looking in the other direction.

Reyes kissed Ryder's temple, before straightening up completely. "I should let you talk to your friends," he said, offering her a wink before moving away.

Ryder covered her face with her hands and let out a groan. When she lifted her hands away Peebee was slumped in Reyes' usual chair and Vetra stood on her other side.

"So, you and Reyes seem to be doing well," Vetra said. Her tone was harmless, curious without being pushy, but it reminded Ryder that she still didn't really know what she was doing in this _relationship_ she'd fallen into.

"More than well," Peebee added, with a wink, "Almost wish we hadn't interrupted."

"We are not talking about this," Ryder said, burying her face in her hands again, "This is not a discussion I am having with either of you."

"Better us than Gil," Peebee retorted, "He'll be recommending baby names before you know it."

Ryder's brain stopped working for a second. The idea of starting a family with Reyes was far too much. Except…

"No. No. I'm not even thinking about this," Ryder protested, as much to herself as to Peebee.

"Sounds like you are," Vetra commented dryly.

Ryder glared at her. "I am supposed to be resting. This is not restful."

Maybe something of her internal conflict was obvious to the turian, Vetra had always been surprisingly good at picking up on her mood, or maybe she was just that obviously pitiful.

"Alright," Vetra said, raising her hands in mock surrender, "No talking about the boyfriend. We'll just relay everyone's well wishes."

There was that word again. Ryder felt her breath catch, felt Vetra watching her closely, puzzling her out just as Lexi had. She wondered if everyone saw something she didn't. Not about Reyes; despite everything she'd known his affections towards her were genuine. But she couldn't watch for her own tells, couldn't see what her friends seemed so sure about.

Maybe it _was_ that easy.

 

A familiar voice pulled her from sleep, and Ryder turned to it instinctively as she woke, smiling even before she opened her eyes.

"Scott," she said, "You're awake."

Scott grinned from the bed next to her. "Hey sis," he said. His voice was raw, and he looked about as bad as she'd felt a couple of days ago.

"Looks like I'm gonna get out of her first," she said, matching his grin even as she sat upright.

Scott strained to mirror her before relaxing on his bed, obviously pained. He took a breath. "Looks like you might be right. You always _did_ have to be first."

Ryder laughed, pure relief that he was going to be ok. That they'd made it through the worst and were _both_ going to be ok. He looked back at her, still smiling and then motioned beyond her.

"So, when were you going to introduce me to your boyfriend?" he asked.

Her head snapped around so fast it strained. Still recovering, she reminded herself. Reyes was sat beside her, as always, and she was suddenly aware that she'd heard both of them talking as she woke up. Her mind went blank and she took a couple of attempts to find her voice.

"It's not…" she started, looking between Scott and Reyes in mild panic. "He's not..."

It was the wrong thing to say. Reyes stood up, a momentary flash of hurt in his eyes, before he shut it down. Ryder could see the mask that had made the Charlatan slide into place. "I'll let you two catch up," he said, his tone even, "It was nice meeting you, Scott."

Ryder felt her stomach drop. By the time she thought to tell him to stay he'd already gone. "Shit," she muttered.

"Did I miss something?" Scott asked. Ryder turned back to him to see him frowning. She wondered briefly how much Reyes had said to him, but it was a question that would have to wait.

"I think I screwed up," she said quietly.

"Well, go fix it," he said, like it was the easiest thing. For some reason hearing Scott say it made her believe it. Why should it be hard? She loved Reyes and she knew he loved her. Everything else just required her to be honest, and find some courage. The stakes were only high for her.

"Cover for me?" she asked.

Scott laughed, the sound turning into a cough. "Sure."

Ryder wasn't sure where Lexi had gotten to, didn't really care at that point. All she needed to do was get out of bed and after Reyes. The first step almost fell out from under her, legs shaky from disuse. SAM, who'd been remarkably quiet since she'd gotten back to the Hyperion, stirred to life in her head.

"Do you require assistance, Pathfinder?" he asked.

One shaky step, and then another, each stronger than the last. She'd walked off worse. "I'm fine SAM," she answered, "Just tell me where to find Reyes."

He hadn't gone far. Ryder leant against the wall of the corridor, watching him for a moment. He was fiddling with his omni-tool, but didn't seem to actually be doing anything. He looked _sad_. She felt physically ill at the thought of having caused that. Or it could have been the decision to leave medical.

She took a few steps closer to him and cleared her throat. "You look like you're waiting for someone," she said, voice quiet. She wasn't sure he would take the joke, but it was the best olive branch she could think of.

Reyes looked up sharply, his expression immediately transforming to worry. "You shouldn't be out of bed," he said.

Ryder perched herself on the seat next to him, grateful to sit down and hating how weak she'd become. "Some things are worth listening to Lexi's scolding."

There it was again, that look in his eyes that she'd learnt meant hope. For both of them. He gently took her hand and seemed surprised she didn't pull away. She'd _really_ screwed up. "Ryder, I…" he started but she cut him off.

"No. I'm the one who messed up this time, _I'm_ doing the talking." He blinked at her a few times, but didn't try to speak. Ryder took a deep breath. It was surprisingly easy to be brave when Reyes was holding her hand. "I never really did this in the Milky Way," she said, watching him closely. She was desperate to make sure she got this right. "Bringing someone home to meet the family was the last thing on my mind, relationships were casual and undefined at best."

"This doesn't have to be…" Reyes started again.

"But I _want_ this to be," she insisted, "Falling in love is kind of a new experience for me. But it's the best one Andromeda had in store." Reyes was smiling at her as though she'd just agreed to marry him. Which was a whole other thought she was not going to focus on. "Be my boyfriend?" she asked lamely, "Come have awkward dinners with my brother?"

Reyes pulled her into an embrace. "Of course," he whispered, his hand brushing against her cheek as he kissed her, and _when_ had she started crying?

"You know, since you're on your feet again," he murmured, suggestive. Ryder made a noise that was halfway between a laugh and a sob.

"Found her!" Cora shouted from the end of the corridor.

"Table that thought?" Ryder suggested, running a hand over her face before turning to see a very irate Lexi walking towards her.

"You are, by far, the worst patient I have had to deal with," Lexi said as she appraoched. Ryder schooled her expression into something that she hoped looked chastised.

"This is on your suggestion, you know," Ryder protested.

Lexi did not take the bait. "Back to medical. Now."

Ryder stood, shaky once more, and limped forward a step. Reyes was there instantly, and she'd never been more grateful for his support.

**Author's Note:**

> So I haven't actually finished a fic in years? Score one for Mass Effect Andromeda. Please let me know if there are any glaring errors.


End file.
